Detroit Man Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Impersonating Dead Relatives And Stealing $800,000 In Government Benefits

A federal judge in Detroit has sentenced a Detroit man to 24 months in federal prison. 64-year-old Kendrick Allen Gills was accused of stealing more than $800,000 from the federal government. Gills impersonated two deceased relatives for decades in order to collect their government benefits.

Gills was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow.  After the conclusion of his prison term, Gills must also spend three years on supervised release.  The Court further ordered Gills to pay full restitution to the government.

Gill’s relative Jack Farmer passed away sometime in 2004. At that time, Farmer was receiving a federal pension from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM was unaware of his death. As a result, they continued to issue monthly Treasury checks in Farmer’s name.  The erroneous payments continued for approximately 14 years for a total of $566,547.00.

Gills unlawfully converted these payments to his own use. He made electronic withdrawals from their joint bank account. He also forging Farmer’s signature on at least one check.  Significantly, Gills concealed Farmer’s death by submitting multiple forms to the Office of Personnel Management on Farmer’s behalf. Thus, making it look as though Farmer was still alive and living with Gills. 

Gills broke down in tears when the feds came knocking. Gillis claimed the relative was like a “father figure” to him, then came up with a wild cover story. He found his 90-year-old relative dead in the house. But his body disappeared that same day either left in a ditch by a cousin or buried in a well behind a farmhouse.

The stories didn’t check out. Charges followed. To this day, a body has not been found.

During the same period, Gills also unlawfully retained $245,969.24 in payments made to another deceased relative by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It’s Not Just One Detroit Man Doing It. Detroit Has Become A Mecca For Scamming The Government:

Want To Live Off A Dead Relative’s Government Benefits? Go To Detroit